Courtesy: United States Olympic Committee
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The United States Olympic Committee today announced finalists for the Team USA Awards presented by Dow, Best of July, which recognize the outstanding achievements of Team USA athletes from last month. Fans are invited to vote for their favorite athletes and teams at TeamUSA.org/Awards through midnight Monday, Aug. 6.
A total of nine sports – including fencing, para-cycling, paratriathlon, shooting, swimming, tennis, track and field, triathlon and volleyball – are represented among the 13 finalists across men’s, women’s and team categories. The finalists’ collective accomplishments tell the inspiring story of U.S. Olympic and Paralympic athletes year-round.
In addition to Dow, the presenting sponsor, the Team USA Awards are supported by DICK’S Sporting Goods and USG.
JULY FINALISTS
Male Athlete of the Month
Mark Barr (Davis, California), Paratriathlon
Came from behind to capture his third consecutive gold medal in the world series circuit in Edmonton, Alberta.
Ryan Boyle (Monroe, Connecticut), Para-cycling
Improved to the No. 3 world ranking after collecting a gold medal in road race and a silver medal in time trial at the world cup in Emmen, Netherlands.
Eli Dershwitz (Sherborn, Massachusetts), Fencing
Claimed the No. 1 spot in the world rankings and was crowned the overall world cup champion after winning the silver medal in saber at the world championships.
John Isner (Greensboro, North Carolina), Tennis
Reached his first Grand Slam semifinal at Wimbledon in the second-longest match in Grand Slam history and won his fifth title at the Atlanta Open.
Noah Lyles (Gainesville, Florida), Track and Field
Topped his own world-leading mark and set a new meet record with a personal-best time of 19.65 in the 200-meter, remaining undefeated in the event in Diamond League competition.
Female Athlete of the Month
Kathleen Baker (Winston-Salem, North Carolina), Swimming
Set a world record in the 100-meter backstroke on her way to winning three national titles in the 100 and 200 backstroke, and 200 individual medley.
Courtney Hurley (San Antonio, Texas), Fencing
Became the first U.S. fencer in history to win an individual world championship medal in epee, capturing the bronze medal, while also aiding the U.S. women to the gold medal in the team event.
Kim Rhode (El Monte, California), Shooting
Equaled her own world record of 122/125 targets in the qualification round of the Tucson World Cup and went on to capture her third gold medal in skeet this season.
Allysa Seely (Glendale, Arizona), Paratriathlon
Continued her undefeated streak, securing her third straight gold medal over a minute ahead of the field at the world series stop in Edmonton, Alberta.
Serena Williams (Palm Beach Gardens, Florida), Tennis
Competed in her 30th Grand Slam singles final at Wimbledon, becoming the third-oldest Grand Slam finalist since 1968.
Team of the Month
U.S. Women’s Foil Team, Fencing
Lee Kiefer (Lexington, Kentucky), Nzingha Prescod (Brooklyn, New York), Nicole Ross (New York City, New York) and Margaret Lu (Greenwich, Connecticut) won the first-ever world championship title for an American team in foil, upsetting previous world and Olympic champion Italy by 10 points in the final.
U.S. Mixed Relay Team, Triathlon
The team of Kirsten Kasper (North Andover, Massachusetts), Ben Kanute (Phoenix, Arizona), Katie Zaferes (Santa Cruz, California) and Kevin McDowell (Phoenix, Arizona) earned the bronze medal, marking the third consecutive ITU Mixed Relay World Championships podium for the U.S.
U.S. Women’s National Team, Volleyball
Captured the inaugural FIVB Volleyball Nations League title and $1 million prize, finishing 17-2 in the tournament, and claimed its second consecutive Pan American Cup title after rallying back from a two-set deficit in the final.
SELECTION PROCESS
Each National Governing Body may nominate one female, one male and one team per sport discipline. An internal nominating committee selects finalists to advance to the voting round. Votes received from NGB representatives and select members of the media account for 50 percent of the final tally, with the other half determined by online fan voting via TeamUSA.org/Awards.
